Бармен Ронни Пендлтон стал психологом для жителей Mid-City, создав в пабе атмосферу настоящей семьи

Ronnie Pendleton’s favorite drink to pour is the same as his favorite to order: a beer and a shot. It’s timeless, consistent and gets the job done — kind of like Pendleton himself. Pendleton is known to many Mid-City residents for his work behind the bar at The Holy Ground Irish Pub, the homey corner bar where he’s built a following of regulars who adore him more for his comforting bedside manner than his skill at mixing specialty cocktails. He’s the kind of guy you can count on to remember your order, who will still be there late at night after a long shift, who will cut you off when you need it most. He’s loved by his coworkers and customers alike, described by his boss as the best employee he’s ever had, ever reliable and always on his game. “He’s everyone’s favorite bartender’s favorite bartender,” friend and regular Hannah Landrum says while sitting at the bar sipping her usual, Espolón Blanco with a cranberry back. Landrum first visited Holy Ground when she moved to the neighborhood at the beginning of 2025. She didn’t know many people in Mid-City, but Pendleton made sure to make her feel seen. Back then, her go-to drink was a frosty can of Pabst Blue Ribbon. Pendleton always had one cracked open and waiting for her by the time she made it in. “So I always felt kind of felt welcome here,” Landrum says. Though Pendleton describes himself as an introvert, you wouldn’t know it from the way he moves behind the bar, chatting up regulars as if they’re close friends, teasing customers with unconventional orders (“Are you okay?” Pendleton asks a couple who ordered two shots of Rumple Minze in late August). He handles even the most intoxicated of patrons with a gentle touch that could only come from years spent working in the wee hours of the morning. It’s meeting and connecting with new people that Pendleton says he likes most about his job. “I have met people from all walks of life,” he says, motioning to the regulars — musicians, lawyers and scientists by day — lining his bar. A Westwego native, Pendleton fell in love with bartending from the first shake of a margarita at the Harvey Texas Roadhouse where he worked when he was 21 years old. He started there as a server, but to him, it always seemed like bartenders had the most fun. He begged for two years before management agreed to give him a chance. It’s taken him some time to find his place in the city, working stints at dive bars, upscale restaurants and everything in between over the past decade. A dedicated home cook (he shows off photos of a perfectly executed carrot cake cheesecake and elote shrimp and grits with chorizo) he once considered launching a pop-up of his own. But when he was hired at Holy Ground in 2022, it felt different. “It’s home,” Pendleton, now 35, says. “… There’s a difference between just slingin’ drinks and actually building a community and hanging out with your people.” Together, Pendleton says Holy Ground regulars and customers have built a culture of looking out for one another, and Landrum believes Pendleton has played a crucial role in cultivating that mindset. If you’re in need, he’ll have your back. If you’re lonely, he’ll be there with a drink poured and a shoulder to cry on. She credits him with helping her to find a job and a whole new group of friends in Mid-City. “I’m not your therapist,” reads a sign hanging behind the bar at Holy Ground, but Pendleton admits that to a lot of people, he really is. He even has a degree in psychology. “As cheesy as it is,” he says, “I genuinely love what I do and I love the community we’ve established.”